Sunshine

On January 13, 2020   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 84: 11 – 12

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Let’s start off this week with some good news. Which sentence or phrase above holds the best news for you? It’s all good. May I share the God’s Word version with you as well, “The Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord grants favor and honor. He does not hold back any blessing from those who live innocently. O Lord of Armies, blessed is the person who trusts you.” I hope just reading these words blesses you.

I was immediately captured by the declaration that he withholds no good blessing from us. Our Father is not stingy or recalcitrant. He wants to be a blessing to us and to give us good things. That is a comforting thought. All goodness is in Him and a part of Him and no part of Him does He withhold from us.

Knowing that God is good and has good to bestow upon us gives one a sense of peace. Meditating on our Lord being our sun and shield captivated me though. As I thought about the sun, I could almost feel what is like when it shines its beams on one’s face. Remember a spring or fall day when the air was crisp with the edge of coolness in it. How great were those days which were sunny? Despite the cool temperature, when you turn your face to the sun, the rays warm your face and that warmth seems to reach all the way to your soul. Recalling one of those days which I experienced recently, I remember how nice it felt and I remember the “Ahhh” which escaped my lips. It’s like being kissed by God. Don’t we automatically turn our faces toward those warming rays? The sun feels good on your back but if you watch people, they often turn their faces towards the sun and let it warm and soothe their faces. You can watch the stress disipate to be replaced by a visage of peace.

As I think of that picture and bask in my own memories of the glowing warmth, I think how wise we are if we turn our faces towards God and let Him shine upon us daily. Even when the sky is dark and foreboding, His light is a radiant face lift bringing peace and relaxation to our faces which then sinks down into our spirits. It is even more empowering when I think that even as we stand, eyes closed, face turned towards the light that He is also providing a shield. We needn’t be concerned about a foe who may attack while we are off guard because He is always “en garde.” He is our sun which relaxes us and our shield so that we may enjoy that peace.

Thanks to our Father, we need never have a day without sun. Metaphorically, everyone experiences gray days. Clouds fill the horizon and the overcast sky falls heavily upon your shoulders. But . . . if you will turn your face towards the sun, our God, in those gloomy times, He will shine on you the bright light of His love and peace. There is, therefore, no need for us to sag under the oppression of a dank fog, no need to for the withering depression of grey skies. Let your face seek the light and allow the warming rays to chase the clouds from your life.

The next time you feel the weight of a cloudy day, remember this psalm. Remember your sun and shield and that He, your sunshine, withholds no good thing from you.

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Sunshine

On August 22, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 8: 12

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

I hope you were able to see the solar eclipse yesterday. It was a remarkable event; many observations to be made but there is one thing that really stood out to me. At the totality, the sky became like nighttime. What amazed me was how little sunlight it took to light up the earth again. As soon as the sun began to peek out, the earth began to look like mid-afternoon again.

It reminded me of Jesus. Without Jesus, there is only darkness. It takes only a bit of Son-shine to make the darkness flee. With even a little Son, hope arises. Someone said, “Wow, the sun is really powerful.” How much truer is that of the Son? He turns darkness into light and life. Where he is, there is no darkness. We need not stumble in the darkness because he lights our path.

Some people think those are just cute sayings but for those who walk in the light, you know they are true in a very real sense. Jesus spoke literally about himself in this verse. Without him there would be no light and no life. Without the sun, the earth would die. We need sunshine for plants to grow. Without the Son, I believe even the sun would die because everything was made through him and nothing that was made exists apart from him.

Over the next weeks you may continue to see news stories and pictures from the solar eclipse. I hope it will make you think about the glory of Jesus and his resurrection story. From the darkness of his death, light arose and through that resurrection breathed life back into each of us. Let all the earth praise the Son. Let all the universe, sing his praises. Thank you Father for sunshine; thank you more for Sonshine.

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Shine On

On November 13, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 60: 1

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

Yahoo! That is my commentary, Yahoo! I love seeing the good news of the Lord and this verse is light in a dark place (all puns intended). Look at verse 2: “For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.” Dare I say it again? Yahoo! Isn’t that “Sonshine”? Remember the verse from Monday? It was Proverb 4: 18 and I titled it “Sunshine”. Look at God confirming His word to you today.

Though darkness fill the earth, light shines on the children of God. Yea! Jesus fulfilled and confirmed this. Behold his words, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8: 12). Isn’t that what Isaiah wrote? Isn’t that what Solomon conveyed in Proverb 4: 18? Do you think God is trying to get a point across? I think He wants us to realize that even when there are clouds on the horizon and our view is bleak He is still the radiance of love, compassion, help, and all else shining on us. His love is warmth on our shoulders. His glory is our crown covering us from the head down. 

Your light has come, glory to God. He is the Lord Jesus Christ and you need his light shining through the darkness. Though the world may be cloaked in darkness, Jesus is light for his beloved. Don’t live in darkness, don’t let that cloud remain. Shout because our Lord breaks through all and shines his glory on us. Praise his name!

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Sunshine

On November 9, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 4: 18

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. 

I have never seen this verse so big before. I have been helping my mother with the sale of her house, the purchase of a new house and the impending move. Do you know that old saying, “If it can go wrong, it will.” Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but there have been many hiccups along this road. 

A minister friend sent this verse to Mom and me and it really is a good one. It means that despite the rain or the clouds the sun shines for the children of God. I would say, though, that it doesn’t shine for Christians. It shines for those who are in God, whose life is hidden in Him. Having said a salvation prayer isn’t the end all. It truly is the beginning. From that initial dedication of our lives to Christ we begin to learn to walk in him and to trust him for all the things of our life. One of the lessons we learn is to put ourselves in His hands and put our stuff: our problems, issues and cares in His “Inbox”. As we do this the clouds have to dissipate. It really is wonderful.

Look at this verse from the Good News Translation and be encouraged: “The road the righteous travel is like the sunrise, getting brighter and brighter until daylight has come.” Yahoo! There may be clouds, there may be rain but for the children of God the sun shines brightly. The brilliance keeps growing until it is as bright as it can get. That is our God and Father. Out of the midst of storms He brings sunshine. Hallelujah. It may be raining on others but the “sonshine” is on you. Glory!! Get a revelation of this and let it get down in your spirit. The people who will see this truth manifested in their lives are the ones who believe it and trust it. God wants to pour out sunshine on you so don’t look at the clouds. They aren’t for you. Set your eyes on the emerging sunshine. God is light and He has you covered.

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